# Juan Castro Blanco Park Builds a Sensory Trail, but Isn't Open Yet

> In October 2026, crews were building a visitor area and an accessible sensory trail in the Volcán Viejo sector of Juan Castro Blanco National Park near Bajos del Toro, partly with plastic lumber made from donated bottle caps. A planned September opening slipped, SINAC still lists the park as closed to tourists, and no new opening date has been announced.

Source: https://pura-verde.com/news/juan-castro-blanco-accessible-trail-2026/
Last checked: 2026-11-06

One of Costa Rica's least-visited national parks is getting its first proper visitor area, and it's being designed around people who can't hike a muddy mountain trail. In October 2026, crews were laying foundations and improving a sensory trail in the Volcán Viejo sector of Juan Castro Blanco National Park, near Bajos del Toro in the canton of Sarchí, [as The Tico Times reported](https://ticotimes.net/2026/10/12/costa-rica-juan-castro-blanco-national-park-visitor-facilities) on Oct. 12. The key fact for travelers: the park isn't open to regular tourism yet.

## What's being built at Volcán Viejo

The plan, developed by the nonprofit [Asociación ProParques](https://www.proparques.org/) with the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), private companies and local partners, includes:

- A visitor entrance with a ticket office
- A cafeteria and souvenir shop
- A parking area
- A nature trail designed for people with disabilities

The trail is the centerpiece. According to project details published in April, it includes an accessible walkway of about 80 meters (262 feet), 5 sensory stops where visitors can rest and experience the forest through sound, smell and touch, a lookout over a river, safety railings, benches and accessibility signs. A Gollo announcement in April described the full trail as about 1 kilometer long, with the 80-meter walkway as its main accessible section. Supporters have billed it as the country's first "sensory" national park.

[Delfino.cr reported](https://delfino.cr/2026/10/arrancan-obras-de-nueva-infraestructura-para-visitantes-en-el-parque-nacional-del-agua-juan-castro-blanco) the same day as The Tico Times, using photos a reader took on Oct. 10 that show foundation work and trail progress. In September, the park reported working with ProParques and Café Britt on the sensory trail and the Las Súrtubas arboretum: placing stones, building culverts where water crosses the path and laying out an alternate route.

## Built partly from bottle caps

Some of the walkways and structures are meant to be made of plastic lumber recycled from bottle caps collected through ProParques' official collection campaign. Retailer Gollo said in April that it had donated 824.5 kilograms of caps (552.3 kg in 2025 and 272.2 kg in 2026), [as El Mundo reported](https://elmundo.cr/tendencias/gollo-aporta-8245-kilos-de-tapitas-al-proyecto-del-primer-parque-nacional-sensorial-del-pais/), and HEINEKEN Costa Rica and ProParques collected more than 400 kilograms, according to Delfino.cr.

That's a meaningful effort, but the scale is worth knowing: the same April announcement put the 80-meter walkway alone at 45 tonnes of caps. The donations reported so far are a small share of that, so the campaign still depends on many more schools, businesses and households saving caps. Using recycled plastic doesn't make the whole build waste-free, but it does keep durable plastic in long-term use instead of in a landfill.

## What the park protects

Juan Castro Blanco covers about 14,308 hectares (35,356 acres) in the mountains of northern Alajuela, managed by SINAC's Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area. It's often called the "Parque Nacional del Agua," the water national park, because its cloud and montane forests feed springs and rivers that supply communities in the north and west of the country. The ICT's [Visit Costa Rica page](https://visitcostarica.com/where-to-go/protected-areas/juan-castro-blanco-national-park) lists the Platanar volcano with active vents, the Pozo Verde lagoon as the source of about 50 rivers, and wildlife including quetzals, black guans and tapirs. The Tico Times noted pumas and jaguars live there too.

The park's management plan, updated in 2025, aims to expand sustainable tourism while protecting forests and water. Right now most tourism around Bajos del Toro, known for its waterfalls and hiking, happens on private land, so a public, accessible option would be new for the area.

## Not open yet

Earlier announcements had targeted an official opening of the Volcán Viejo sector in September 2026. That date passed. As of Oct. 31, 2026, SINAC still listed Juan Castro Blanco as closed to tourist visits, and no new opening date had been announced. Please don't try to visit the worksite or enter the park until SINAC confirms it's open.

In the meantime, our guide to [accessible nature in Costa Rica](/accessible-nature-costa-rica/) lists trails and wildlife experiences that are open now, and our [recycling and zero waste guide](/recycling-composting-costa-rica/) explains where caps and other plastics really go. For another story about turning waste into local value, see how [Daniela Campos built a family recycling center](/news/daniela-campos-recycling-center/), and for a reminder that park access can change quickly, our report on [Poás reopening after a bridge closure](/news/poas-national-park-reopens-bridge/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Juan Castro Blanco National Park open to visitors?
Not as of Oct. 31, 2026. SINAC lists it as closed to tourism while visitor facilities are built in the Volcán Viejo sector. A September 2026 target date passed, and no new date has been announced.

### What is the sensory trail at Juan Castro Blanco?
A nature trail designed for people with disabilities, with an accessible walkway of about 80 meters, 5 sensory rest stops, a river lookout, railings, benches and accessible signs, so visitors can experience the forest through sound, smell and touch.

### Where is Juan Castro Blanco National Park?
In the mountains of northern Alajuela. The new visitor area is at Volcán Viejo, near Bajos del Toro in the canton of Sarchí.

### How can I donate bottle caps to ProParques?
ProParques runs an official bottle cap collection campaign; its website explains how to collect and donate caps for recycled plastic lumber used in park infrastructure.